1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drill pipe turning devices, and more particularly to drill pipe clamps provided with a rise advance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of clamps to retain and rotate a drill pipe has been known in the past. With the recent shortages of oil drilling techniques entailing extraordinary depth have raised the force levels necessary at the surface to a point where wear and structural failure are now a common occurrence. Thus the typical costing of a well bore almost always includes the costing of equipment replacement, an item heretofore amortized over several jobs.
There is therefore a constant search for techniques that result in higher structural strength available from equipment which is also compact to allow for the same manipulative convenience that the personnel is accustomed to. This structural integrity is to be accommodated in a device which also is conveniently adjusted for wear thus enhancing the useful life thereof and reducing the equipment costs.